The present disclosure relates to a latch mechanism for releasably latching and/or holding a first member with respect to a second member with a high preload force, and in particular to a latch mechanism including a trigger having a pivotal locking member and a tool coupler.
Channel latches are used to latch a member such as a panel or door to an adjacent member such as an aircraft frame. Existing latches have secured adjacent members together with a preload force in the range of 25 to 30 pounds. While this level of preload force is sufficient for many applications, latches that are subject to high levels of vibration exhibit excessive rates of wear at these preload levels. Aircraft latches have required replacement every six to twelve months due to the excessive wear which results from the combination of high amplitude of vibration applied the latches and the low level of preload force applied by the latches. A latch that provides a high level of preload force will have a longer service life when subjected to high amplitude vibration than will a latch that provides a low level of preload force. However, the amount of preload force that is provided by a latch has been limited due to the limited force a user can directly apply to the latch by hand in order to operate the latch, especially if the latch must be operated with the user being in an awkward position.